What to do in Madison this weekend: June 18-21, 2026

Hot 8 Brass Band, Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Water for Elephants, through June 21, Overture Center-Overture Hall: Sara Gruen’s hit 2006 novel, Water for Elephants, is one of those wildly inventive tales that wouldn’t seem to be bestseller material, much less ripe for adaptation for a major motion picture and a Broadway musical. But life is surprising that way (also a theme of this material). After a family tragedy, a young veterinary student hops a train that turns out to be a circus train. The carpe diem themes work well with the exuberant circus staging and heartfelt songs. This is the show’s Wisconsin premiere, with performances at 7:30 p.m. June 16-19, 2 & 7:30 p.m. June 20 and 1 & 6:30 p.m. June 21. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Paul Otteson album release, Thursday, June 18, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Many local music fans know chamber folk singer-songwriter Paul Otteson as the front man for Madison’s Faux Fawn. His new solo album, Alright, I Get It, Alright, marks Otteson’s emergence from a music hiatus and is a chilling collection of retrospection, the thoughts and musical musings of a middle aged man not afraid to think out loud about flailing within the chaos of his life. Opener Bright Arcana is a perfect pairing; John Everett Hardin also digs deep in search of some ever elusive tranquility. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
  • Hot 8 Brass Band, Thursday, June 18, Atwood Music Hall, 8 p.m.: From the street parades of New Orleans to the international stage, the Hot 8 Brass Band has blended the oversized sounds of traditional marching bands with jazz, funk and hip-hop for more than 20 years. Known for their vibrant original tracks as well as passionate renditions of classics by artists ranging from Marvin Gaye to Joy Division, expect a non-stop, sweaty stage performance featuring several trombones, saxophones, trumpets, drums and the deepest of bass notes that could only come from a tuba. The band is also renowned for their resilience through tragedy — including Hurricane Katrina and, separately, the deaths of several band members — and this show will be both high energy and high emotion. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.
  • Our Home States: Mountain Region, through June 21, Broom Street Theater: Year four of Broom Street Theater’s Our Home States series traveling the country through short plays lands in the Mountain region. Works by seven playwrights include Belly Up To the Bar, a story of “catharsis in wartime” by prolific Chicago writer Donna Latham, and Throw Me Out by New Zealand-based Rex McGregor. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; ticket info at bstonline.org.
  • Home Grown, through Aug. 8, Textile Arts Center: Fiber and textile artists in the Midwest don’t always have the opportunity to work with materials from their own home areas; the Midwest Linen Revival collective is working to change that. As part of its annual Field to Frock events series (June 23-28), the organization is partnering with the Textile Arts Center on “Home Grown,” an exhibition featuring contemporary artists incorporating Midwestern fibers and dyes in their work. A reception takes place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on June 26; regular gallery hours are noon-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
  • Madison Jazz Festival, June 19-27, various venues: The annual Madison Jazz Festival presents a moving feast of creative music delights spanning locations from Middleton to the near east side of Madison. The fest, coordinated by Arts + Literature Laboratory and the Wisconsin Union Theater, just about always presents a headliner of the moment; this year it’s an ensemble led by drummer-composer Nate Smith, who just picked up a pair of Grammys this spring for the album LIVE-ACTION. Smith plays June 26, the first of two fest-closing days of free music at the UW Memorial Union Terrace (trombonist Wycliffe Gordon headlines June 27). Ticketed concerts include a collaboration by Dee Alexander and John McLean (June 19, North Street Cabaret), Sonic Saxophone Choir featuring Roscoe Mitchell, Hanah Jon Taylor and many other Midwest players (June 20, Cafe Coda), Mathis Picard (June 23, ALL), and a Miles Davis tribute by the Richard Johnson Quartet (June 24, North Street Cabaret), joining other free concerts around town. Find the schedule at artlitlab.org.
  • Harry Whitehorse International Wood Sculpture Festival, June 19-27, San Damiano, Monona: This biennial festival brings together 13 wood sculptors — a mix of Indigenous artists from the U.S. and artisans from overseas — to create new work on site, using both contemporary and traditional techniques. It honors the memory of Harry Whitehorse, the late Ho-Chunk sculptor from Monona. Opening ceremonies introduce the artists at 5 p.m. on June 19; artists can be seen at work from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. daily from June 20-26. The schedule also features cultural arts demonstrations, and a concert by Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials (back on the road with Slideways, their first album in 10 years) and Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy (5 p.m. June 25). The closing ceremony is at 2 p.m. June 27. Find more info at harrywhitehorse.com.
  • Edward IV, June 19-28, Madison Children's Museum: Madison Shakespeare Company goes niche with Thomas Heywood’s Edward IV, performed outdoors at the Wonderground play structure at Madison Children’s Museum. Note, this is not a play for kids, despite the setting. Nonetheless, the Wonderground should prove an inventive set for a drama about Renaissance political intrigue and domestic strife. Shows are 7 p.m. on June 19 and 26 and 6 p.m. June 20 and 27-28. Tickets at madisonchildrensmuseum.org.
  • Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, June 5-7, 19-21 and 26-28, various venues: Chamber music is never buttoned-up with Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, and the company has spent 35 summers proving it. This year’s festival, titled “Never Say Never,” features music by composers such as Dvořák, Brahms, Berio, Shostakovich, Mozart and Milhaud, presented with serious musicianship and not-so-serious manners. The home base is UW Hamel Music Center, with one night each in Stoughton and Spring Green, for nine concerts across three weekends. The second weekend opens June 19 with "Neverland," a concert featuring music by bass-baritone Timothy Jones and pianist Jeffrey Sykes, accompanied by narration and images by photographer Katrin Talbot. Find program and ticket information at bachdancing.org.
  • …or Does it Explode? album release, Friday, June 19, Gamma Ray, 8 p.m.: The fourth album by …or Does it Explode? finds the band blending their earlier post-hardcore sound (including some screamed vocal responses) with the melodic, catchy songcraft of more recent albums. The songs on Realities Disguised as Symbols continue the group's explorations of various crises of modern-day life (the USA’s slide away from democracy, global humanitarian failures) through an empathetic lens. With We Should Have Been DJs, Big Sloth, Hottt Probs. Tickets at gammaray.bar.
  • Heavy Looks EP release, Friday, June 19, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Veteran Madison rockers Heavy Looks return with a new EP, No Holds Barred, out June 19, and celebrate its release at this concert. The EP features songs that have been live set staples for years but hadn’t been previously recorded; the title track/lead single is a stomping power pop cruncher with an introspective storyline. With Jules & the Jems, Yas & the Jewelers. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
  • No Love Monday + Flame the Ruler, Friday, June 19, Majestic, 9 p.m.: To celebrate Juneteenth, the Majestic is offering a free hip-hop bill featuring Madison artists. Scene stalwart Flame the Ruler has been on a tear in the recording studio in recent times, including the no-frills old school raps on the One Man Band EP and collaborations with Baldhead Kingpin and Dirty Lo. No Love Monday has also been prolific lately, with a series of 2025 singles leading up to a collection of smoothly delivered R&B bangers, Aye Monday (including “Drunk in the Bathroom,” recently the subject of a video filmed in several Madison locations). With Uchi Kinte, DJs Iron Mike and Pain 1.
  • Juneteenth in the Park, Saturday, June 20, Penn Park, noon-6 p.m.: The theme for Madison’s Juneteenth celebration is “Black Resilience: Celebrating Our History and Presence” — topics particularly relevant in 2026 with the federal government seemingly intent on reversing the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. The traditional parade starts the day, with staging beginning at 10 a.m. at Madison Labor Temple, and the procession down Park Street to Penn Park starting at 11 a.m. The celebration from noon-6 p.m. will feature music and other entertainment, kids' activities, exhibits, vendors, speakers, and food. It’s hosted by Kujichagulia Madison Center for Self-Determination; for more information, visit kujimcsd.org.
  • Damsel Trash + Hey Ghost album releases, Saturday, June 20, Bur Oak, 7 p.m.: In Damsel Trash, Emily Mills and Meghan Rose have created one of the best rock side projects in a town that bursts with great side projects. It stemmed from their alt-rock band Little Red Wolf when the two sought an audience for their treasure chest of queer punk notions. The Madison/Brooklyn duo will celebrate the release of their fourth album, Battle Hymn of the Queerpublic, at this show. Hey Ghost is a quartet of Madison scene vets who play powerful punk that leans metal; they’ll also release a new (self titled) record. With PandaHed. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
  • Make Music Madison, June 21, many locations: Each year, Make Music Madison turns the city into one giant open-air concert on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Porches, parks and parking lots become stages, with hundreds of musicians creating a choose-your-own-adventure mixtape: you can hear taiko drumming, sea shanties, jazz, choirs, garage bands, and the kind of wonderfully indescribable acts you only discover by accident. Just wander until the next song finds you; the schedule is at makemusicmadison.org (and you can find events in other Dane County communities at makemusicday.org).
  • Open Doors for Refugees Community Potluck, Sunday, June 21, Elver Park, noon-3 p.m.: There is nothing like a community potluck. People naturally love getting together over food, sharing beloved family recipes or just making new friends while chowing down on chips. Moreover, this potluck, hosted by Open Doors for Refugees, is a great way to let our refugee community know that Madison welcomes them here, never moreso than in this time where they probably don’t feel welcome in the nation at large. Kids' activities will be available from the Madison Children’s Museum and MSCR’s Clay on the Move, and Cumbia Cachaca, Gloria Hays, and Tani Diakite & the Afrofunkstars will provide the music. Bring a dish to pass.
  • Starkweather Summer Solstice Festival, Sunday, June 21, Olbrich Park, 4-9:30 p.m.: Nowhere is the solstice celebrated more enthusiastically than in east Madison — at least in the greater Madison area. This twice-a-year gathering sponsored by Friends of Starkweather Creek is maybe even more fun in June than in December, with canoe rides (starting at 4 p.m.), food carts (5:30 p.m.), music from Onadare (6:30 p.m.), and bonfire and drumming at sunset. Best of all, attendees can write wishes to add to the bonfire, which is supposed to aid in their coming true, for whatever reason, and why not? We have a few ideas.
  • Taking Back Sunday, Sunday, June 21, The Sylvee, 8 p.m.: Taking Back Sunday survived the early-2000s emo boom but today is difficult to slot into a specific genre. Are they still emo? Maybe pop-punk? Or post-hardcore? To quote the chorus of the band’s latest song, “The Pattern” (which appeared on last year’s Music for Everyone Vol. 2: A Compilation in Support of the American Civil Liberties Union), “it doesn’t matter.” What does matter is that Taking Back Sunday is closing out their latest tour, with veteran punk rockers Bayside in tow, in Madison — and on a Sunday too! (Might be nice to treat Dad to this one, given that it’s also Father’s Day.) Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Cinema Stereo, Sunday, June 21, Gamma Ray, 8 p.m.: Fans of sassy guitar rock will want to circle this date on the calendar Cinema Stereo, currently based in Nashville, plays hooky riff rock that comes across like Aerosmith trying to make a Raspberries record. NYC trio King Falcon has piled up millions of streams with a series of singles blending Strokes-y indie rock and the groove of an old ZZ Top record. Madison is repped by Varsity Mac, whose released music is based in shoegazey rock but blends genres as needed; Varsity Mac has also piled up the streams, with a couple mill plus for the 2023 cut “Moonwalk” on ye olde Spotify. Tickets at gammaray.bar.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.